Long Live the King
by snoopykid
Summary: This is the aftermath of the episode where Simba and Bunga fell into the sink hole and the what if's come into play. What if Simba never really put the past behind him? What if this event triggers haunting memories to the surface? What if this is how everyone finally finds out once and for all what happened to the King? Rated T for safety. See inside for more details
1. Chapter 1

So totally out of, what I would call, my usual realm in the fanfiction community. This has literally not stopped plaguing me since I saw the episode of the Lion Guard where Simba falls into the sink hole. Like the parallel between his fall and Mufasa's was like 'did they seriously just do this'? Which brings on more questions for me since in the second movie it is clear that when Kovu is first introduced into the Pride, Simba is having flashbacks to when Mufasa is thrown off the cliff, and so this little tale is spun in a way of: What if Simba's fall into the sink hole triggers his repressed memory?

Like really, he said he put it behind him, but what if he merely repressed it since it was really Scar that killed Mufasa; however what if there is some lingering guilt in that Simba still holds. Also did he ever really tell Nala or Sarabi what had happened? Also now what about Kion and Kiara? Do they really know the full story of their once exiled father? So yea a lot of thoughts about this and thus this story is born. Do not know where it will go, but whatever. I just have to get it out there because: people got to know this stuff!

 **Long Live the King**

The royal family enters the den after what one would call a long and tiring day. Kion and Kiara were still humming the mantra that had kept Simba sane in his time of exile, but he too was humming along with them as was Nala and was occasionally singing the words that Timone and Pumba had taught him, "It means no worries, for the rest of your days…"

"It's our problem free…" Kion sang as he stopped in his tracks to belt out the words.

"Philosophy!" Kiara joined in with her brother to add to the harmony.

"Hakuna Matata!" Simba joined in with his cubs and they all laughed along.

"Ok it is time for bed." Nala sighed, but she was grinning at her mate and her cubs' antics.

"But mom…" Both Kion and Kiara groaned out as their happy mood deflated.

"Nala…" Simba joined in as he sighed to join his kids in the pouting fest at being told it was time for bed.

Nala shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Honestly Simba, do not encourage them. You know it is late and we all have had a stressful day."

Simba's grin at what he was going to retort back to his mate fell as he thought back to the beginning of the day. Somehow the adrenaline and the euphoria at getting out in one piece left him at her words and the reality sunk in…it was rather scary knowing that he was in trouble despite his son pulled through to save not only him, but Bunga as well; however what if no one was there…what if he was out on patrol by himself and that had happened, " _Oh Simba you are in trouble again…this time daddy isn't here to save you_." A cold and foreboding shiver came over him as a brief image flashed across his mind's eye, "Simba?" Simba shook his head and saw the now concerned faces of his family looking at him.

"Sorry what?"

"You ok dad?" Kion asked as he approached his father.

"You looked lost." Kiara stated as she too approached her father.

Simba looked at them once more, not really seeing them, but answering anyway, "Yes, of course, your mother is right. It has been a long day, we should really get to bed." Simba shook himself to become more alert as he tried to push whatever that was out of his mind.

"Night daddy." Kiara said as she nuzzled her face into his chest, "Thank you for saving me from the sink hole."

"I will always, be there for you." He replied as he licked the top her head.

"Night dad." Kion said as he too nuzzled his head in his father's chest, "Glad you and Bunga made it out safely and are friends."

Simba chuckled deeply, "Brothers you mean."

"Yea I'd rather not think that my best friend is my uncle." Kion stated slowly as he shook his head trying to rid that thought from his mind.

Simba laughed this time, "Half uncle a couple species removed you mean."

"Ugh. Night dad!" Kion called out as he chased after his sister, who started laughing. Simba and Nala laughed harder when they heard Kion retort to her, "That means Bunga is your uncle too you know!"

"Kion!" They heard Kiara's voice shout as she too realized that fact.

Nala shook her head as she and Simba took to their rock amongst the other lionesses, "So that was an interesting revelation you two made huh?"

"It was." Simba replied, but as he started to settle down, the foreboding feeling came back.

Nala sat up a bit to fully look at him, "Are you ok?"

"Yea, just tired. It was a long day."

"You can talk to me, you know that right?"

"Of course."

She was met with silence and after a few moments, she settled back down, "Good night."

"Night." Simba replied, however he did not shut his eyes. His gaze was fixated on the dark corner of the den, and instead of the snores of the others in the area he heard thundering of hooves. He tried to fight the hypnotic trance of the sound as his eyes closed, but to no avail. The last bit of adrenaline wore off, and he succumbed to the haunting sound.

Nala was jolted awake in the early hours of the morning. At first she was confused as to why she was so abruptly woken up. Looking around, she did not see her cubs anywhere, there was no immediate danger, and she did not ask for a morning wake-up call so what gives? It was then she felt something pushing roughly into her side and heard the whimpering. Looking to the source, she sees Simba, face contorted in grief and heaving while trying to push closely into her, "Simba…Simba wake up!" She tries to yell quietly as to not wake the others.

"No…no…" He mutters out, "Sorry…so sorry…"

"Simba." Nala makes a move to switch positions, as to better wake him, but this movement scares him more.

"No!" He starts to get louder and the others twitch this time and some make a move to full wakefulness. Seeing this, Nala tries to soothe him to wake up, but this utterly fails, "NO!"

At this the entire den is startled awake, and the lionesses jump into alert positions. Kion and Kiara come out of their area at the sound of their father's anguish yell and they see their mother looking just as startled and their father up and panting as if he had been running for a long distance. Giving him a moment to recover and slowly taking in the sight around them, Nala swallows as she looks back at Simba, "Simba, what-"

"The wildebeest, he tried to save me. It was an accident…I…I didn't mean for it to happen!"

Out of all the things he could have said, this was not one of them. It took Nala a moment for his words to catch up to her mind, and everyone in the den backed off, seeing that this was a private moment. Kion and Kiara however pushed their way through the crowd and made it over by their mother and father, "Mom what-" Kiara tried to ask.

"Not now." Nala stated as she looked towards her cubs, then back to Simba who looked to be in grief and confusion, "Simba what-" She tried to talk to him again, hoping that whatever he was thinking about would exit his mind and know that he is safe.

"What should I do?" He asked her desperately. Before she could answer, he started to back away from her as he answered himself almost hypnotically and on autopilot, "Run. I have to run away and never return."

"No!" Nala yelled and this halted his movements a split moment as he was about to turn his back on them, "You are not leaving." To make her point she jumped in front of him, blocking his exit, "You are in a dream. It is not real, whatever you are seeing is not real."

Simba was silent for a moment, she could see his eyes quickly darting back and forth as he took in her words, trying once more she said, "You are not leaving us."

"What about you? You left." He suddenly growled out defiantly as he stepped around her.

"I didn't leave! I am right here." She said trying to figure out where all of this was coming from.

"Dad?" Kion called out as he tried to approach his father, "What is happening?"

Simba shook his head, "You wouldn't understand."

"Just tell us." Kiara said softly as she slowly approached him.

He spun around so quick that she was caught off guard and stumbled backwards right into Kion, who in turn fell back into his mother, "Look! You think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life?! You don't even know what I've been through!"

"Simba!" Nala yelled as she pushed the cubs behind her in defense, not knowing what was going on with him.

"Forget it!" Simba yelled and he then ran out of the den.

Kiara was practically in tears, "I…I didn't-"

"It's ok, you didn't do anything. Neither of you." Nala said trying to reassure not only them, but herself.

"But what happened? He was fine before…" Kion asked as he looked at his mother with concern then to where Simba had ran off too.

Nala sighed as everyone looked at her for guidance, also wanting the same answer, "Look let's all go back to sleep and we will figure something out in the morning."

"Are you sure?" One of the lionesses asked softly.

"Yes." No, she corrected to herself in her head, no I am not. Then looking at her son, who still had a questioning gaze on his face, she answered as everyone took to their area and started to doze back off into an uneasy sleep, "I do not know what happened, but there is nothing we can do now."

"Should I call the Lion Guard? We can go out and look-"

"No. Let's just wait until morning, he will hopefully be back by then." Letting them curl up beside her, Nala shifted her body so she was looking at the entrance of the den. Please, come home; she pleaded as she fell back into an uneasy slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow I totally did not expect to get that many follows/reviews/favorite alerts that quickly…well you wanted more and you got more! The story continues!

 **Long Live the King**

It was later on in the morning by the time everyone got up and moving. Most of the lionesses went out to hunt, leaving Nala, Kiara, Sarabi, and Kion (with the rest of the Lion Guard) alone at the bottom of Pride Rock. Sarabi and Nala were talking amongst themselves while Kiara and Kion explained what had happened the previous night to the rest of the guard, "So your dad just up and left?" Fuli asked with raised eyebrows and in a disbelieving tone.

"Not just left, but he totally snapped at me." Kiara stated still in shock over her father's tone and glaring eyes from the night before.

"Seems very scary and doesn't sound like he was in his right mind frame." Ono said as he sat on the rock and looked at his friend, "Has he done this type of behavior before?"

Kion shook his head, "No and Mom seemed surprised."

"Rather like she saw a ghost or something." Kiara replied to her brother's comment, "Did you see the way she looked at Dad before he ran off after he snapped at me? It was like she was thrown into the watering hole or something."

Meanwhile on the other side of the area, Nala was having a similar conversation with her mother-in-law, "I have never seen him like this before." Nala said shaking her head and then motioning to the cubs, "He snapped at Kiara and would hardly recognize anything I was saying."

Sarabi nodded along and sighed, "Perhaps he is under stress? Has something happened recently that made him like this? What about the sink hole?"

"He was fine. The kids and he were singing when we got back…you heard them." Nala answered.

Sarabi looked troubled and worried for her son. It was unlike this to happen and from what she and the older lionesses had overheard, it was really troubling to hear him sound so lost and broken, then angry to furious and defeated, "What are you going to do?"

Nala sighed, "I am not sending anyone out until later. I mean for all I know he has lost track of time and is already out on patrol or something."

Sarabi nodded, "Agreed. No need to cause worry if there isn't anything to worry about."

Back with the kids, "So what are we going to do?" Bunga asked as the conversation lulled into silence.

They listened a bit on Nala and Sarabi's conversation, "I guess we wait until Mom gives the ok to search for Dad." Kion stated.

"Want us to discretely search the Pride Lands?" Beshte asked.

"If you are starting a search, I want in." Kiara shot to her brother.

Kion looked surprised, "Whoa hold on. First of all we are not doing anything unless Mom says so. Second you are doing what Mom says and will let us take care of it."

"The heck I will." Kiara stated furiously standing up and glaring at her brother, "He is my Dad too and the heck I will sit by and let you send anyone after my father!"

"Your father?! He is also my Dad and I will do what I need to do!"

"Guys." Bunga hesitated a bit as he looked to the older lionesses and then back at his friends, "You might-"

"You make it sound like I would be a hindrance!"

"You would!"

"Guys!" Beshte, Fuli, and Ono tried once more to get the cubs' attention.

"Would not!"

"You hardly go to the Pride Lands anyway! I am constantly out there! Not you!"

"He is my Dad!"

"What is going on?!" Nala yelled as the guard had taken a step back to allow the Queen room to separate the cubs from going at each other. Kion and Kiara looked away as they sat back down under their mother's glare, "Well?"

"We were trying to figure out what to do about the King, you're Majesty." Ono said hesitantly seeing that even Bunga was afraid to answer her question.

"Oh…" Nala said slowly as she looked at the kids then back to her own, "It is not your place to worry about your father. Besides I have a plan already in place."

"But we are worried. It is not like him to storm off like that…" Kiara mentioned, "I just told Kion that when he sends out the guard I want to go to help."

"And I told her essentially that she would do as you told her to do."

"Meaning I would only hinder him." Kiara replied with a glare.

Nala sighed, "Well no one is going anywhere…at least not yet. Besides I told you that I would handle it." Then looking away into the distance, she added as an afterthought, "I found him once, I will find him again."

Seeing her gaze, the kids noticed how her eyes looked like she was remembering something, "Why did you have to find him?" Kion asked slowly as he shared looks with the others.

Nala shook her head, "Don't worry about it. All that matters-"

"You're Majesty!" A new voice came down from the sky and looking up, they saw it was Zazu and he landed in the middle of the area, "I found him."

"What?" Nala asked as she approached him, "Was he ok?"

"Uhm…a bit distracted. I heard from sources that he was doing his patrol, but he kept talking to himself. I eventually tracked him to the boundary of the Pride Lands actually." Zazu explained as he fiddled with his wings.

"What?" They asked.

Zazu sighed, "I talked to him though and after a few minutes, he turned away and muttered something about uhm…hold on let me get this right…" He thought for a moment, "He said, and I quote, 'I never get to do anything fun…' then continued with, 'slobbering, mangy, stupid, poachers'. Yes that is what he said, and then he told me he would meet me at Pride Rock."

Nala bit her lip and then sat in deep thought, "How was your conversation with him? Did he mention what happened last night?"

"No, he seemed lost though, like it was strange madam;" Nala held back a flinch, she still could not really get over the fact that the same bird was treating her with respect after having put up with her actions as a cub, "His Majesty was here, but not here. I am not entirely sure he heard what I was saying."

"What was he doing on the boundary though?" Kion asked, "And where on the boundary?"

Zazu sighed and answered, "It was near the elephant graveyard." He shot a glance at Nala.

This caused Nala and Sarabi to jolt up in alarm, "What was he doing there?!"

Before Zazu could answer, there was a new voice that entered the conversation, "Hey Nala!"

Heads turned to see Simba running over to them, "Simba! Thank goodness you are ok!" Nala stated as he approached them, ignoring the others in his passing.

He came to a stop and cocked his head to the side, "Uh yes I am ok…why wouldn't I be?"

Everyone looked at each other and then at him, "You are kidding me right?" Nala asked as she shot a look to the kids to stay out of the conversation.

"Nope." Simba stated as he sat down and looked at her. Something was not right, and she knew it. She saw how his eyes were slightly glazed over as he looked at her then as if he realized something, he shook his head and looked at Kiara this time, "Come on! I have to show you this neat place!"

Kiara was taken aback as her father jumped up in excitement, "Wait what?!"

"Simba we are in the middle of something!" Nala fired back as she tried to get her mate's attention back on the problem, "Like where have you been?!"

Simba turned towards her and then looked at his mother, "You knew where I was. I was in the Pride Lands."

"Ok but where did you go last night?"

"Nowhere. I left early this morning." Then he asked, "Can we go now?"

"Not until you tell us where you have been." Sarabi stated deciding to take control before another row between her son and her daughter-in-law broke out in front of the kids.

"I was with Dad. He was showing me the kingdom, come on Mom stop playing around you knew this." Hearts stopped and they all looked at him with mouths agape, but Simba took no notice of this as he said in a cocky manner, "He showed me the whole kingdom and I am going to rule it all." Still not registering the shocked looks, he turned towards Kiara again, "So come on, I really want to show you this neat place."

Not knowing what made her say it, but looking around at everyone else's perplexed and shocked expressions, Kiara asked, "And where are we going?"

"It's really cool!" Simba said with excitement.

Seeing this excitement and her mind catching up with her, Sarabi asked, "And where is this really cool place?"

Based on what happened in the early morning hours, she did not want to believe what was happening, but with mother intuition and from what she was seeing, she prayed he was not reliving what she thinks he is reliving and about to take her granddaughter too, "Oh uhm…around the water hole." Simba responded hesitantly.

It was, "The water hole? What is so great about that?" Kiara asked not catching on to what the problem was as she looked at her mother and grandmother. The guard on the other hand was on high alert, and Kion stepped on Kiara's tail to keep her quiet, but before she could snap at him, Simba got close and said through closed teeth, "I'll show you when we get there."

"In a moment." Sarabi said and then led Nala away from Simba and the cubs, "Do you know what is happening?"

"No, but seeing the look on your face tells me you do."

"You mean that exchange did not trigger a memory for you?" Sarabi asked as she looked into the young Queen's eyes.

Nala met the look and then thought hard about what just happened, "Wait a minute…" The pieces sank in and then it hit her, "He is reliving the memory of taking me to the elephant graveyard;" but then she looked back to Simba interacting with Kiara, "he is going to take her, because-"

"He thinks Kiara is you. It makes sense since she looks like you when you were younger and he recognizes that." Sarabi says quickly as she watches her son try and play with her granddaughter.

The Lion Guard slowly approaches them, but also keeps an eye on the duo, "What is happening?" Kion asked as he takes in their faces.

"Your father is experiencing moments of the past, specifically the moment he took your mother to the elephant graveyard." Sarabi answers.

"What?!" The kids asked never really hearing this story before.

"That is so cool!" Bunga says, "Why didn't you tell me your parents are cool!"

"It wasn't cool, it was stupid and dangerous." Nala states, although she admitted to herself that it was kind of cool in the beginning, as she catches the uneasy look in Kiara's eyes while Simba is still talking animatedly, "We cannot let them go."

"We have to." Sarabi says slowly as she looks at the duo, she did not know why she said it, but something was telling her this was the way to go, "We are going to let them go, but you will stop them at the boundary."

"Why? You know what happened last time." Nala says, "I am not putting them in danger."

"You aren't. You and the guard are going to follow them. Let him play this out, but stop them when they get to the boundary." Sarabi explained, "I will tell Rafiki what is happening and hopefully he can help figure out why this is occurring."

Nala shook her head, "No. This is crazy."

"I have to admit," Heads looked at Zazu, who they forgotten was there, "This is unethical."

"We have to. I cannot explain, but we have to let this happen." Then looking at the guard, "You are to do what is necessary to protect them. Nala will fill you in." Then calling the two over, she said to Simba and Kiara, "You two can go."

"Alright!" Simba cheered, but Kiara gave an uneasy smile as she saw the grim looks on their faces.

"But take Zazu with you." Here we go again, Zazu thought as Simba let out a, "No…not Zazu!"

Zazu led the way as Simba and Kiara trailed after him, "Go follow them and I'll talk to Rafiki." Sarabi said and she took off.

"So mom, where are we headed." Kion asked as his mother started leading the way.

"Nowhere good, but before we go any further;" She stopped and looked at them. Just because they are tasked with the job defending the Pride Lands on a daily basis and have proven to perform the task admirably, this was much different and needed to be handled with more care, "You will do exactly as I say. No matter what."

"Mom-" Kion started to argue.

"No buts." Nala said cutting him off and giving him her 'no nonsense' look, "There are things we never told you, that your father never told me. This memory he is 'reliving' is bad. Yes it was kind of cool," she looked at Bunga and he smiled, "but it was very dangerous. You have no idea what happened to us, and right now especially after last night, I have no idea what is happening to your father."

Faces fell as she said this, as the weight of what was really happening dawned on them, "Stuff happened in the Pride Lands that you wouldn't even have dreamed that could happen. Stuff that I lived through and had to deal with on a daily basis, and right now…" She paused to gather her thoughts and feelings, "stuff that your father may have repressed is coming back for a reason we have yet to understand, so please Kion…do what I say and do not argue with me; otherwise you all will stay home."

Kion looked at his teammates and they all nodded their head. It was their duty to protect the Pride Lands, however it will not be easy seeing as the Queen was right, this was new territory and right now they were out of their element, "Ok mom."

"Good, now let's go before it is too late and they reach the graveyard." With that Nala took off running with the Lion Guard following closely behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Long Live the King**

It was strange. Kiara looked at her father and after semi-hearing the conversation between her mother and grandmother along with the Guard, she knew that this lion next to her was not her father…at least in mindset. This lion was a different Simba, apparently the cub Simba that her mother knew and best friend. To make matters a lot stranger was that he thought that she was Nala, his best friend. Looking up and noticing that Zazu kept stealing her glances, she knew that she had to make conversation, "So…where are we really going?" This part she did not hear, but based on the looks that her mother had given her unknowingly, it was nowhere good.

"An elephant graveyard." Was her father's slow and hushed reply.

"WHAT?!"

"Shush!" Simba hushed her as he looked towards Zazu with warning.

Elephant Graveyard?! What was he thinking?! That's right he wasn't…however as she looked behind her, she sensed that they were being followed, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked nervously.

Simba gave her an odd look, "What is with you? Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes."

"Really? Because I thought you would be all over this." Simba said with a slight hint of disappointment in his tone.

Mom would have been excited about this? She couldn't picture it, but knowing that whoever was following and if her grandmother thought that this was ok and everything would be fine, she ran with it, "I am. I was just surprised."

Simba looked at her critically, but seeing nothing he brightened, "Good. Now we just have to get rid of the majordomo."

Kiara eyed her father and had two feelings coursing through her. One was how she liked the way her father's normal patient smile was now mischievous and similarly the spark in his eyes matched making him look much younger, and two was wariness. This lion was really not her father, "How are we going to do that?"

His smile widened as he whispered her the plan of action, and feeling her own sense of mischief, she added her input when necessary. Who knows, this could be fun…right?

Trailing closely behind was Nala with her son and the Lion Guard. She watched them closely as déjà vu kicked in as she watched her daughter and mate interacting. Even the bantering between them and Zazu was familiar, minus the part of being 'betrothed' to which she was immensely thankful for, "So mom are we headed the right way?" Kion asked slowly as they had come to a halt.

"Well no. We have to see when they lose Zazu first. Hopefully it'll be just as easy as the last time." Nala said as she struggled to think back to when they were cubs, running around the Pride Lands and getting the other animals in on the act to take the majordomo away from them.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Fuli asked as she watched the banter go back and forth and the King strutting around looking very full of himself.

"Well for starters it was my idea that got us separated from Zazu in the first place." Nala answered as she watched Simba and Kiara take off, "Come on before we lose them!" They chased after the two lions as Zazu was taking flight.

For a good five minutes, they zigzagged back and forth, dodging every animal that was out in the grasslands. It wasn't much longer until they lost sight of the majordomo, and Simba and Kiara were at the boundary between the Pride Lands and the elephant graveyard, "Wait." Nala said as she held her paw out to stop Kion and the guard from making a move.

"But Mom, grandma said-"

"I know, but look." Nala said as she motioned to Kiara.

They hid themselves amongst the grasses as they listened to the conversation, "We lost him." Kiara said panting with a smile. She had to admit, this was kind of fun.

"I am a genius." Simba said in a cocky manner with the smirk to match.

"Hey some of that was my idea."

"But I pulled it off."

"With me." Kiara retorted forgetting who it was she was talking to; however she regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth, although she could see where Kion gets his attitude from. Perhaps that is why they are always butting heads…she thought to herself.

So that is why we are butting heads, Kion thought to himself as he heard his father talking, he was so cocky, "Mom, I think Dad is being a bit of a show off."

"Pot meet kettle." Nala muttered, but she was proud of her daughter for standing her ground.

Simba shrugged at Kiara's response, "Come on, it's this way."

Kiara's brain caught up to her finally and she said, "Da-Simba!" The name felt awkward on her tongue as she called out to her father. He stopped and turned, giving her a questioning look, "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Why not?"

"It could be dangerous." Kiara said as she stole a look behind her. She saw in the grasses her mother with the guard, and her mother nodded encouragingly. It seemed like she was waiting until the right moment to interfere.

Simba scoffed, "Danger? Ha! I walk on the wild side, I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha!" He laughed haughtily at her remark, before settling down to see that his friend was not amused. So changing tactics he explained, "Only the bravest lions go to the elephant graveyard, we are brave right?"

"Where did you get an idea like that?" Kiara asked feeling a bit insulted that her father was mocking her.

Simba paused suddenly as he was about to answer. It was their secret…he couldn't tell their secret…but it was Nala and she was his best friend-no wait, something wasn't right. He closed his eyes shut and sat down. He was rubbing his forehead with his paw as he heard haunting words in his head once more, " _I am just protecting the wellbeing of my favorite nephew. Promise me you'll never visit that dreadful place_." His promise…he was breaking his promise, but he was brave. He needed to prove to his father that he was brave as he was, but then the voice spoke again, " _Remember this is our little secret_ …" He couldn't spill their secret…could he?

"Who told you about this place?" Kiara pushed again seeing that her father was getting agitated.

"Uncle Scar…" Simba bit out painfully as he felt pressure in his head. More images and voices flashed that he couldn't control.

"That rat faced sorry excuse of a lion!" Nala growled out angrily that made the guard step away from her.

"Mom?" Kion braved as he looked at his friends for support.

Nala glared at her son, "He planned this. He was planning this from the start!" Realization dawned on her as Simba unknowingly admitted where the idea had come from as she turned back to the scene.

"What is your Mom talking about?" Bashte asked in a low voice, afraid of getting snapped at.

"I do not know." Kion answered back.

"So when do we intervene?" Ono asked.

"Not yet." Nala answered still angry at her revelation, "Hopefully Kiara can get him out of this before we need to act."

Simba had shaken his head and stood up to begin walking, "Come on."

"Dad wait please we can't go there." Simba didn't hear her and Nala got ready to give the command, "This won't make you brave."

Simba was not listening as he kept going. Nala gave the command to go after him just as Kiara lunged at him. Taken by surprise, Simba found himself on the ground as Nala and the guard paused mid lunge. His head whacked the ground and he winced in pain and shock. Opening his eyes, he gasped out, "Kiara?"

"You recognize me?" She asked surprised.

"Yes, what are you doing on top of me?" Then sitting up he looked around, "Where are we; and what were we doing?"

"Simba?" He turned to see Nala standing in front of the Lion Guard and giving him a sorrowful look.

He got up and slowly approached them, "Nala? Kion?" He asked then looking back at his daughter and then making contact with the rest of the Guard, "What is going on and why are you looking at me like that?"

"You were in a memory." Nala answered as he cocked his head to the side, "You were taking Kiara to the elephant graveyard."

"WHAT?!" Simba yelled as he jumped away from them and began pacing, "But that is forbidden. It has been forbidden since…ever! I mean why would I do that?"

"Dad, you thought I was mom…" Simba's eyes shot to his daughter as she spoke, "I didn't hear the whole explanation, but that is what I comprehended."

"It's true," he looked towards Nala, "you were in the memory of us going to the graveyard…"

Simba was speechless as he stared at the eyes of his guard and family. They did not need to say anything, because from the look in their eyes it was the truth. Kion could sense the disbelief and grief radiating off his father, "Let's go home." He suggested easily looking at his mother.

Nala nodded and went over to her mate, "Come, let's go home." The look on his face broke her heart as she remembered that night, the way Mufasa's disappointment and anger shown through his voice, and it must have radiated something within him, because he flinched at her suggestion.

Zazu had eventually caught up with them as they treked back through the Pride Lands, it was early evening by the time they were halfway home. No one spoke a word and no words were needed to be said as they shared glances with each other and looking at the King, who more or less slowly began to look like a dead-lion walking. Nala was about to suggest to Zazu to finish taking the kids home when Simba spoke, "He is disappointed in me."

Everyone looked at his defeated posture. Nala knew that this was not something Simba wanted the kids to see, so she motioned to Zazu to take the kids away, "We want to stay." Bunga said in a hushed tone as the domo started to shove the honey badger.

"This is getting pretty good." Fuli admitted.

Kion and Kiara were also fascinated as was Bashte and Ono, "Zazu please. We have to know what is going on." Kion pleaded.

"We have a right to know." Kiara agreed once they were a safe distance away from being seen.

Zazu sighed, "I know, but this is private. Something that you all are not old enough to hear, nor can understand. Your father worshipped your grandfather. He wanted to be just like him, he wanted to prove himself. That is why he went to the graveyard with your mother."

"Please Zazu, we have never asked you for anything…" Kiara begged.

"No I was given orders to take you all home."

"Who's to say you take us home and we stay there?" Kion asked shrewdly.

In face the question was asked in true younger Simba fashion that Zazu had to do a doubletake to make sure that he was indeed Kion and not Simba. He hated to admit it too (after making sure that this was indeed Kion) that the cub had a point, "I am going to regret this…" Zazu muttered.

"YES!" The kids cheered softly and they snuck a bit closer to hear better, but still remained out of sight…at least Bashte tried to remain as low in the grass as possible.

Nala looked at him and noticed his defeat and saddened expression, "No he isn't."

"I could have been killed! I deliberately disobeyed him." Simba said angrily as he began to pace, "And I put you in danger!" Then shaking his head he added, "I could have put Kiara in danger! What is happening to me?!"

"I do not know." Nala said as calmly as she could, "Your mother thinks you are reliving your memories that led up to the stampede." This made Simba jerk to a pause. He knew that Scar told them about the stampede, but no one knew the full story. There were only two that knew what happened, and one was dead…, "She was going to talk to Rafiki while we stopped you from taking yourselves into the graveyard."

Simba shook his head, "I put it behind me."

"Clearly you haven't." Nala said irritated, but then she calmed herself down, "Please Simba talk to me. What really happened?"

However as she asked the question, she knew he was gone again. He began to pace before sitting down as he said in a defeated tone, "I was trying to be brave…like him."

Closing her eyes, she gave in and just let it be. Going over to him, she sat next to him and answered back, "I meant what I said…" She began softly, "I thought you were really brave."

"That wasn't bravery." Simba said darkly, "Being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble."

It wasn't your fault though, Nala wanted to say as she recalled her epiphany, but instead chose to say, "You did not put me in danger. I chose to go along with you." Simba didn't seem to hear her as his attention was drawn to the stars.

Kion didn't feel so excited anymore as he listened in on his parent's conversation. In fact as he looked at his friends and his sister, he saw that they were feeling the same way, "We were pals." He turned back and listened to his father, "He said he would always be there for me…" He saw his mother give him a nudge with her head as he looked away from the bright shimmering lights that were shinning down on them trying to offer him some sort of comfort that she did not know how to provide.

"Come on." Kion said as he slowly got up, "Let's go home, I think we heard enough for right now."

"Yea…" Bunga said just as softly, feeling sorry for his half-brother (albeit a couple species removed).

The rest followed slowly after him and Kiara gave their parents one last look as Zazu guided them home, "I wish there was something that we could do." She said after a few moments.

"Like what?" Kion asked as they trugded along the path.

"Give your father a day off?" Fuli suggested.

"Yea a stress free day to just be? I do not think Kings get that." Bashte replied with a bitter laugh.

Zazu hummed in agreement, "Unfortunately that is the case. Oh your father would boast about the changes he would make."

"Sounds improbable." Ono stated.

Kion and Kiara came to a sudden halt as the idea stuck to them, "Well, why does it have to be?" Kion said slowly.

"Excuse me?" Zazu asked as he turned back around to look at the cubs.

"Yea, why can't we give dad a day off? Maybe that is just the thing he needs." Kiara said quickly and excitedly, "Then he will be back to normal!"

"It could work!" Kion said, "You thinking what I am thinking?" He asked his sister.

"Let's go!" Kiara said as they bolted towards Pride Rock leaving the others standing there in shock.

"Am I the only one that missed something?" Bunga asked slowly as he pointed in the direction the cubs went. Everyone else shook their heads, "Ok good I thought it was just me." He said relieved.

The King and Queen did not return until much later in the evening. Nala had taken Simba to see Rafiki, but the King stubbornly refused to talk to the baboon shaman about what had occurred. They found the cubs curled up in the entryway to the den, "Kiara…" Simba called sleepily.

"Kion…" Nala called just as tired, but slightly still irritated that Simba refused help.

The cubs awoke to their parents' voices and they greeted just as tiredly, but for a different reason, "Hi."

"What are you doing out here?" Simba whispered, but that gut wrenching guiltily feeling clawed at him from earlier.

"Waiting for you to come back. We wanted to tell you something." Kiara said smiling and purring against her father to show that all was forgiven.

Nala couldn't help but smile as Simba's expression, "What is that?" She asked seeing that Simba was still registering the shock that his daughter forgave him.

"We planned a surprise for dad." Kion stated proudly.

"Wait what?" Simba asked confused.

""Yup! We are going to show you tomorrow." Kiara said just as proudly, "Everyone, including the guard, got together and agreed with us to give you this marvelous surprise!"

Simba could only stare and despite his cubs' smiling faces, the gut wrenching sick feeling returned, "And what is this surprise?" He asked slowly, trying to humor them while in actuality his head was starting to hurt once more.

"Dad if we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise would it?" Kion asked as he led the way into the den.

Most of the lionesses were still up and made way for the royal family, each giving small smiles. Nala, though kept her eye on Simba as he interacted with the kids. She knew something was once again amiss, and could see Simba's interal struggle in the depths of his eyes. She caught a brief glace at Sarabi, but at the look she shook her head to signal that Simba refused help. Despite this, she did reflect on the baboon's warning to her, " _Keep an eye on him. Something big is coming and he will no longer be able to hide from what has been hidden_."

" _You know what happened, don't you? Tell me._ "

" _I cannot, all will soon be revealed_." She huffed silently to herself as they stopped at their rock.

Simba tried to keep up the light mood, despite the dark thoughts circling his head, "If you tell me, I'll still act surprised."

"Nope! Not telling!" Kiara said popping the 'p'.

Kion nodded in agreement, "Our lips are sealed. You are just going to have to wait until tomorrow."

"Ok enough, time for bed." Nala said interving.

Good nights were exchanged and Simba especially apologized to everyone, including to Kiara, which everyone forgave him including his daughter. Before the kids left completely for the evening, he couldn't help but ask, "Hey! Will I like the surprise?"

Kion and Kiara looked at each other and Kiara started to respond, "Oh Dad…"

"It's to _**die**_ for." Kion finished. They both trotted away to their quarters.

Simba's heart stopped and he suddenly felt sick. In fact he felt like he was drowning, " _Oh Simba it's to_ _ **die**_ _for_." The words when said by Kion were innocent enough, but these words in his head were anything but. As the words kept swimming and echoing in his mind, his eyes slid closed and he was once again in a nightmare oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Long Live the King**

It was the second night in a row that Nala woke up to something or rather someone nudging her. She turned her head to see Simba's face contorted in panic and breathing heavily. His claws were extruding from his paws, as if he was gripping onto something for dear life and he was muttering, "Zazu…"

"Simba?" Nala called out as she tried to force him to awake.

"Help me." He cried out. His voice was still soft, so thankfully no one else had awoken yet, but there was no telling how much longer this would last.

Nala tried to shove him as she once again called his name, this time a bit louder, "Simba."

"Hurry!" He was gradually getting louder and this time his movement was increasingly getting more violent.

In the midst of the darkness, Nala could tell that the other lionesses were stirring, she quickly glanced to her mate and tried once again to give him another nudge; however before she could, he let out a fierce yell of horror which caused him to roll over and get to his feet. At the time the others had once again awoke to see their king in a state of panic and shock, which caused Kiara and Kion to run into the main den to see their father standing in shock, "Simba?" Nala was not the one who spoke this time, it was Sarabi.

The former queen took steps near her son. It had been agreed that she would try to talk her son down if he had another night terror. Nala allowed the older lioness some room and went near her cubs just as everyone else backed away a respectable distance.

Simba just stood there and swallowed a lump in his throat, "Dad?" He spoke softly as his eyes were trained to the floor. Sarabi's heart ached as her son stepped past her, slowly and submissively; but before she could say another word, Simba stopped and shook his head, "The wildebeest, he tried to save me, it was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen…" His breathing picked up.

It was just like last night. Kion and Kiara both looked at their mother, and Kion gave a small nudge. Nala looked at them and saw questioning in their eyes, but she shook her head as Sarabi spoke, "Oh Simba of course no one meant for this to happen." Her words meant to bring her son comfort, "but-"

"The king is dead," Simba's words were haunting as she noticed his eyes, already glossed over turned a much hazier shade, "if it were not for me, he would still be alive."

"No Simba no." Sarabi stated as she took a step forward, but Simba took a step back, right towards the entrance of the den, "You-"

"What would my mother think?" He was not here with them. That much was obvious, and Nala knew that these were not his words, but clearly they were words that were spoken, words that clearly did more damage and still had a massive effect. She slowly moved away from her cubs towards the entrance, waiting to pounce to prevent him from leaving as he spoke again in a hypnotic voice as he looked his mother dead in the eye, "Run. I have to run away," he took another step back and looked at the corner of the ground, "and never return."

Nala was ready as Simba turned his back on his mother and his pride. She pounced right on top of him, but in his panic induced mind, he let out a mighty roar and fought her off. The other lionesses charged in to help her, as Sarabi tried to lead the cubs away. In a state of panic, Simba found himself cornered, but it was not the lionesses he saw…it was the hyenas. Quickly looking around, adrenaline pumped through his veins as he saw a hole in their defenses and he blasted through. They tried to stop him, but he was quick and he made it to the entrance and bolted from Pride Rock.

Nala let out a growl as she made a move to go after him, "Wait!" Sarabi called out as she ran over to her daughter-in-law.

"No! I am not letting him get away!" She growled out in frustration.

Kion and Kiara came out from their place just as she was ready to run after him, "We have to think about this, clearly this is another memory-"

"One that I will not relive again!" Nala yelled angrily, "Clearly this is when he ran away! We thought he was dead! I thought he was dead!" Kion and Kiara were shocked to see their mother breaking down like this, "I will not relive this moment!"

"I do not want to either, but think about it…we do not know where he went or what happened after that day." Sarabi said as she forced Nala back into the cave. Nala was panting heavily as Sarabi looked at her, "You may have thought you lost a mate that day, but I thought I not only lost my own mate, but my son. You still have your cubs who is quickly losing their father…" Nala looked at her and then saw her cubs staring at her, not knowing what to make of the situation at the moment, "Do not make them lose their mother as well. You need to stay in control right now."

Nala felt immediately ashamed, Sarabi was right, she needs to be in control; however something else came to mind, "The jungle. I found him in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa."

"But who knows where he went before that." Sarabi says, "We need something to show us what happened."

"Maybe I can help." Heads turned to see the voice that had spoken up, it was Rafiki, "Come. Follow ol' Rafiki."

"Mom?" Nala looks to see Kion and Kiara approaching. While the adults were talking, the cubs were coming up with their own plan of action. Kiara looked to her brother and nodded to him. Taking a deep breath, Kion spoke, "I will summon the guard and we, along with Kiara, will go out and find Dad."

Before Nala could speak, Rafiki took charge, "No, not yet. Gather the guard and meet at the dream pool."

"The dream pool?" Kion asked as did Nala, "But-"

"You wish to know what happened? Then meet ol' Rafiki at the dream pool." The baboon quickly disappeared leaving the lionesses confused in his wake.

"I will stay here." Sarabi said.

"Then you two will-"

"No." Sarabi said as she took a step forward before the cubs could argue, everyone looked at the former monarch in shock, "We need to put the past to rest, and these two deserve to know what happened…they are involved now."

Nala did not want her cubs to witness what happened to their father, in fact neither did she; however seeing that Simba had already dragged them back to the past when he was leading Kiara to the elephant graveyard, and the guard was already involved…her paws were tied, "Alright. Kion gather the guard, but be discrete I do not want panic in the Pride Lands. Kiara and I will meet you at the pool." Kiara quickly trotted after her mother as Kion went in the opposite direction to call the guard together.

Sarabi stood and watched them go. Looking up in the early morning sky, she smiled sadly, "Sunrise, he is your son now." There was a small breeze that enveloped her before traveling in the direction that Kiara and Nala had ran off to.

"Mom, what did you mean that you thought dad died?" Kiara asked.

Their walk had been silent as they neared the dream pool. Kiara had never really been down in this area though, but looking behind her, she sees the faint outline of Pride Rock. The pool itself was small, and right in front just a couple of yards away was Rafiki's tree. There were a whole bunch of reeds surrounding the water and they were standing on a large ledge looking down at the stillness of the water. Nala was still looking down in the water, not meaning her daughter's eyes. The water had a hypnotic effect on her as it willed her to bring memories that she had long since buried back to life; especially since Simba's violent departure brought them to the near surface, "Mom?" Kiara called out once more, only a little louder.

"It was just as I said," Nala responded, her voice heavy and slow. She had not really meant to answer her daughter, but found that she could not stop the words as the pool seemed to show her images of that night and haunting words were suddenly ringing in her ears as she heard a phantom voice speaking softly yet powerfully as if she were hearing it for the first time again, " _Mufasa's death was a terrible tragedy; but to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live...for me it is a deep personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era... in which lion and hyena come together, in a great and glorious future!_ " Nala let out a voluntary shiver as chills went down her spine, she did not speak those haunting words out loud, but she could not un-see the scene that had come to her as those words echoed in her head.

The dream pool changes before Kiara's eyes as she can almost clearly see the scene that her mother starts describing to her, "There was a crescent moon glowing in the night sky as he informed us of the tragedy that had taken place earlier in the afternoon." Kiara did not need to ask what that tragedy had been, while no one knew the exact details, it was clear that the past was being brought back to life, "It was as if there was a haze that had befallen on Pride Rock as Scar told us that Mufasa had died as well as your father. He told us that he would take the throne and unite the hyenas under a new era."

There was silence for a moment, "Did you…well I mean did-?"

"Anyone look for your grandfather and father?" Nala finished asking, "We saw your grandfather yes, but not your father. We tried to look for him, but Scar would not let us leave the Pride Lands."

"But you did." Kiara said, not accusingly but as a matter of fact as she recalled what her father had said the previous night.

Nala did not answer right away as she once again focused on the water, the scene of the beginning of Pride Rock's devastation starting once Scar had let out a powerful roar, officially marking the beginning of his reign, "I did."

There were pounding steps moments later and their heads turned to see Kion and the guard appear, "We are here." Kion announced.

"We will find him and bring him home." Fuli said confidently as she sat down next to Kiara as Kion sat by his mother's other side.

Bunga crossed his arms, "Simba will be found in no time!"

Bashte sighed as he sat down, "Just tell us what you want us to do-"

"And where to start looking." Ono finished as he flapped down to sit on Bashte's head.

"Well first it really is not going to be that easy," they looked up across the pool to see Rafiki emerge, "to understand what is happening now, you must understand what happened then." He then looked sadly at Nala, "Has he really-"

"No he never talked about it. Not to me nor to Sarabi."

Rafiki nodded as he pondered for a moment, then taking a deep breath he began to explain, "The dream pool is meant to show the inner dreams of what the animal wants, however in this case we can also use it to show what an animal had dreamt. Just think of what the King had dreamt and you shall see, and will understand." Rafiki then placed the tip of his staff into the water. Ripples began to form and the dream pool changed as everyone leaned over to get a better look, while thinking what had Simba saw in his dream. Suddenly a large gust of wind came out of nowhere, and the animals that had surrounded the pool felt themselves being sucked in.

"Where are we?" Kion asked as he rubbed his head as it had banged onto the ground.

"I think we are in the Gorge." Nala answered as she looked around, "Everyone ok?" She asked seeing the kids get up rather shakily.

"Yea I think so." Kiara responded as she looked at the remaining guard.

"Someone is coming! Look!" Bunga pointed.

They turned to where he was pointing and instantly saw a lion and a cub, and Nala's mouth went dry as her stomach seemed to drop, "Simba." The kid's eyes widened as they saw the cub in question and then they knew who he was with, "Scar." Nala then growled out dangerously.

"So wait a minute…does this mean we were somehow sucked into the memory?" Ono asked remembering what Simba was going through from the explanations of Sarabi and Nala the day before.

Fuli shook her head, still feeling slightly dizzy, "I would imagine so."

"Now you wait here, your father has a marvelous surprise for you." They hear Scar tell the young cub as they approach the rock.

"Whoa!" Simba exclaims as he jumps up on the small rock, "What is it?"

"If I tell you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" Scar replies shrewdly.

Nala lets out a growl, she doesn't have to see the rest to finally put the pieces together, "Get away from him…"

Kiara and Kion exchange looks, now also putting the pieces together, "Wait what is happening?" Bunga asks not feeling brave at the moment as he looks at everyone else.

"Nothing good." Bashte responds to the honey badger's inquiry.

They watch the exchange as Simba tries to get his uncle to tell him more about this 'surprise'. Somehow it was surprising to the cubs how mischievous their king used to be, even having seen him reliving his cubhood. Just as Simba offered to follow Scar, they hear, "No!" Scar let's out a laugh, "No. Just stay on this rock, you wouldn't want to end up in another mess like the hyenas now would you?"

"What does he mean?" Ono asked the queen bravely.

Nala had been deadly quiet. She swore that if Scar was still alive, she'd kill him herself. None the less she heard the egret's question and answered bitingly, "Elephant graveyard."

"Oh." He said silently afraid of the death glare she was giving the older lion.

"You know about that?" Simba asked looking ashamed of himself.

"Oh Simba everybody knows about that." Scar responded.

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Lucky daddy was there to save you eh?" Then as if adding an afterthought he leaned in close and placed a paw around Simba, "Oh and just between us, you might want to work on that little roar of yours."

"Get your paws off of him!" Nala almost yelled forgetting that this was a memory.

Kion, having been too focused on observing the scene trying to learn what might have been going on in his father's head, peeled his eyes away to look at his mother. The guard and Kiara had taken a step away from her. Slowly backing away from her as well, he joined them, "I think this is getting to be a bit much for her." He said to Kiara.

"Well this is our father, her mate. I wonder why?" Kiara asked sarcastically, but agreeing with Kion all the same.

"Oh ok." They looked back at Simba and Scar interacting. Then as Scar started to walk away, they heard Simba ask, "Hey Uncle Scar! Will I like the surprise?"

Kion's blood ran cold at this as he flashed back before going to bed. They had planned an epic day off for the king, thinking that Simba just needed a break, and this was nearly the exact same question he had asked, "Simba, it's to die for." Scar responded as he walked away.

"It's my fault." Kion said, "I said those words…I triggered this."

This had pulled Nala out of her rage as she went over to Kion, "No, it is not your fault."

"But I triggered this! Dad asked me that question and I gave that exact answer! It must have been my fault!"

"Kion-" Nala tried to reason with her son, but was interrupted by Kiara's laughter, "Dad is practicing his roar. Look."

They turned to see Simba indeed practicing his roar on a lizard, "Ok that is cute." Bunga said laughing, "Look it isn't even scared."

Fuli, Bashte, Ono, and Kiara watched amused as Simba kept trying; this even brought a tight smile to Nala and Kion's faces as well, however they both knew that the conversation was not over. It was not until Simba took a deep breath and let out a little louder roar did the lizard run off, frightened. Simba smiles proudly at himself and the others look on with equal smiles…that is until the atmosphere changes and all goes deadly quiet, "Uh what is happening?" Fuli asks as she notices the rocks on the ground begin to tremble and shake.

"LOOK!" Kiara yells and points. Everyone's heartbeats stop as they see wildebeests charge down the cliff face in their direction.

Just as they join Simba in running for their life, they find themselves in a different perspective. They are now looking down from a cliff, in almost prefect view of the nightmare before them, "Do you see him?" Nala asks as she is scanning the sea of hooved mammals frightened.

"There! On that tree!" Ono yells. Suddenly they see Zazu flew out of nowhere and spots the young cub, "Zazu! Help me!" They hear him calling out.

"Don't worry, your father is on the way!"

"Hurry!"

"How are we hearing this clearly?" Kiara asked as they watch as Zazu fly off.

"Must be because this is dad's dream and memory. We are hearing everything he heard, just from a new perspective." Kion answers, but he looks at his mother and sees that she wants to go help. To stop this from happening, "It'll be ok." He offers as a form of comfort.

"No. It won't." She involuntarily answers quietly to herself, but everyone heard it anyway as they watch Mufasa rushing to the Gorge to save his son, who is still desperately clinging on to the branch while the wildebeests thunder below him.

They see Mufasa fighting through the stampede, but at the same time they watch with horror as one of the wildebeests collides with the branch causing it to break it, sending Simba flying into the air, "DAD!" Kiara and Kion yells horrified as the rest shout, "NO!" and Nala yells, "SIMBA!"

With wide eyes and fast beating hearts they watch as Mufasa leaps up to catch him, but he drops him upon impact with one of the wildebeests. Becoming stuck in the stampede again they are transfixed as they watch Simba dodge a few wildebeests before again being picked up by Mufasa, who then gets him to safety on the ledge below them, "YES!" The kids cheer, but Nala knows that this is not how the story ends.

Suddenly they watch as the brief reprieve is over as Mufasa gets pulled back into the herd, "DAD!" They heard Simba yell out as he stands horrified trying to catch any signs of his father. What felt like hours, was only mere minutes until finally Mufasa successfully fights the herd to throw himself onto a ledge, where he clings for dear life as he starts to make the climb to safety.

The onlookers watch with baited breath as Simba runs to the top of the cliff in hopes to meet up with his father. It is then that they see Simba standing where they are, however from the angle they are seeing they watch as Mufasa plummets into the stampede below, "NO!" Simba's agonizing yell vibrates within them as they are too shocked to formulate their own reaction.

In a sudden flash, everything is silent. No one speaks as they quickly follow Simba to the bottom of the gorge, "Dad?" Simba calls out and coughs as the dust is still clinging to the air.

"Maybe he is ok?" Bunga says softly in the midst of the eerie silence.

Just then fast pace steps are heard and Simba's attitude turns slightly hopeful, "Dad?" However it was a stray wildebeest. They watch as it runs pass them towards a fallen tree branch. The smoke clears a bit and under that branch was a body.

Nala sees Simba's expression as he slowly approaches towards it, she wants to keep the kids away from this, to get out of this dream all together; however something is keeping them trapped here until this is over. Kion and Kiara with the rest of the guard follow Simba and watch with tears in their eyes as Simba tries to revive the fallen king, "Dad? Dad come on, you got to get up." Simba pleads as he lifts his father's head up, but it falls back to the ground.

"Oh Daddy…" Kiara mutters and Nala brings her daughter close for comfort as Simba tries to shake Mufasa awake.

Kion is trying to be brave, however Fuli sees the tears pooling in his eyes and she stands close to him as the rest of the guard offers silent comfort to themselves. They never had to experience such a shocking loss before, and they wouldn't know what to do even if this had ever happened. They continue to watch as Simba tried everything to get his father to awaken until finally giving up and calling for help, "HELP!" He calls out desparately, "Somebody!" His voice echoes in the now seemingly abandoned gorge, "Anybody!" Again his voice echoes back at him, "Help…"

In the end it was futile, from this perspective the onlookers knew that it was no use. He was alone, and they watched as Simba makes his way back to his father's body and crawls underneath his father's forepaw, realizing that there was no hope. They go over to him, trying to wield some kind of support, showing that he was not alone. Nala, having remained silent for this long, starts to slowly allow her tears to fall, not realizing the extreme situation the story actually was.

It was then that they heard a slow approach and they turn to see Scar approaching the cub and his slain father, "Simba?" Simba slowly faces his uncle, "What have you done?"

"WHAT?!" The kids yell in anger.

"HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Bashte and Bunga yell at the sametime.

"It was an accident!" Ono yelled also outraged.

However no matter the protests that were made at this accusation, no one was as livid as Nala in this moment and she let them all know it by a fierce growl which was immediately silenced by Simba's stammering response as he got out from under his father's paw, "Wildebeest…he tried to save me…it was an accident, I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Of course, of course you didn't." Scar said soothingly as he pulled the cub close, "No one ever means these things to happen." It was now that Nala was putting more pieces together at how this event actually played out. She was beginning to remember that night on Pride Rock at Scar's confession, but the next sentence pulled her out of her own thoughts and back to the problem at hand, "But the King is dead, and if it weren't for you, he would still be alive." Wide eyes watched as Simba mulled the words over, and sunk in…this was why he believed that he was a murder: his roar caused the stampede; if he hadn't roared then Mufasa would still be alive.

Then another faux thought crossed Scar's mind and he voiced it, "What would your mother think?"

"What should I do?" Simba asks this time.

Scar leans down so close Simba pulls away from him. Looking the cub dead in the eye he says, "Run Simba…run away and never return."

"No Dad." Kion mutters as he watches his young father look towards his own father. However Simba looks back at Scar and then scampers away.

While they thought this was the end of the memory turned nightmare, they look back at Scar as three shadowy figures approach out of the dust. Recognizing the hyenas, Scar casually is still looking at the direction the young cub had taken off towards, "Kill him." The hyenas obeyed.

In one sudden movement they are again at the top of a cliff and watch as the panicked, and scared cub is blocked by a massive wall of rock. Hearing barking and growling they watch as Simba struggles to climb out of the gorge. In another flash they find themselves at another cliff, this time they see that Simba has nowhere left to run. Below the cliff is a patch of sharp thorns. Everyone watches horrified as the barking and growling become louder until finally the hyenas appear, and with no other choice they watch as Simba jumps down the cliff to escape the predators. They watch as he struggles through the thorns as they feel a pull in their stomach, and before the scene dissolves to blackness around them, the last thing they hear is, "If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!" Echoing around them as the darkness settles around them and they are thrown backwards out of the dream pool.


End file.
